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The South African Guidelines for Healthy Eating and Food Guide For more information contact: Department of Health. Directorate: Nutrition Private Bag X828; Pretoria 0001. This information pamphlet provides advice to South Africans 5 years and older about healthy food choices for healthy living. Following this advice can help you and your family to have healthy eating plans. Eating in this way helps your body to stay healthy; helps you to do everyday tasks, helps you to think and learn, and makes you feel better overall. A healthy eating plan provides your body with energy to function and helps prevent short and long-term illnesses. The food groups in the Food Guide The Food Guide gives information about the amount and kinds of foods that you need to eat to get the nutrients needed for good health. Using the information in the Food Guide also helps you not to get too much of some nutrients; such as energy, saturated fat and salt (sodium). Most choices of foods should be ones that are the most nutritious choices from the food group. Most of these choices will be low in saturated fats, low in added sugar and added sodium; and will provide essential nutrients. The amount of energy that you need from your daily food intake depends on your age, your gender and how active you are. 1 Energy needs for different groups of people Energy intake kilojoules (kJ) per day BOYS /MEN GIRLS / WOMEN 5 – 9 years old 6 500 6 500 10 – 13 years old 8 500 8 500 14 – 18 years old 10 500 8 500 to 10 500 Adults 10 500 8 500 Sedentary and older adults 8 500 6 500 Food intake pattern A E Star V Fru peaDry l Fi yoghuM Fa Sug ner eg ea s i h, l t, eta i s, n k a g c t be , oi y hy me c ma r l hi r l l bl e a t eve food e ntins a ck a s l , t, ee s l s, s n, , s pl ggs soyi a t 6 500 kJ 8 3 1 1 1 1 4 2 8 500 kJ 11 3 1 1 1 1 6 6 10 500 kJ 15 3 1 1 1 1 8 6 Food intake pattern B E Star V Fru peaDry l Fi yoghuM Fa Sug ner eg ea s i h, l t, eta i s, n k a g c t be , oi y hy me c ma r l hi r l l bl e a t eve food e ntins a ck a s l , t, ee s l s, s n, , s pl ggs k soy J i a t 6 500 5 3 2 1 2 1 4 2 8 500 7 3 2 1 2 2 6 6 10 500 10 5 2 1 2 2 8 6 The tables above show how many food guide units you need from each food group every day, based on your energy requirement level and your preferred eating pattern. Healthy eating plan patterns To have a healthy eating plan: Eat the right amount for your needs, plans for three different energy levels are given. Choose a food intake pattern that suits the food you have available to you and that you can afford. Enjoy a variety of foods from each food group within a day, from week to week and during the year when different foods are available. Use foods from most of the food groups, most days of the week. Most of the eating plan will consist of foods from plants; some foods from animals may be included. Water is an important part of healthy eating; make plans to have water available during the day. 2 GET THE MOST FROM YOUR FOODS Enjoy a variety of foods The enjoyment of food is one of life’s pleasures. Eating is about more than satisfying hunger, it is also a part of family life, social events and celebrations. Having a variety makes meals more interesting and helps to ensure that an eating plan supplies all nutrients. Mixed meals are usually eaten three times a day (breakfast, lunch and supper). Eating regular mixed meals, of a similar size, is part of a healthy lifestyle. Healthy eating plans include a variety of foods from each food group, over time. Variety also means including foods from two or more food groups at each meal; these are called mixed meals. Variety also means preparing foods in different ways. Drink lots of clean, safe water Water is essential for life. Water is lost through the kidneys, the bowels, the skin and the lungs. Most of these losses occur without us knowing about it. Water that is lost must be replaced by liquids from food and drinks. Children and adults need about 6 - 8 glasses of liquid a day; most of that should be from water and drinks made with tap water. There are no health benefits to ‘binge drinking’ water; when excess water is consumed it will be excreted as urine. Drink clean, safe water every day as recommended. Some water may be taken as tea or coffee; if sugar is added, use it sparingly. Keep a water bottle close by during the day; you will drink more water when it is easily available. Drink extra water in hot weather and when you are very active. Limit the number of drinks you have that are high in sugars, this includes fruit juice, sports drinks, energy drinks and cold drinks. Make starchy food part of most meals Starchy foods are the main source of dietary energy, they also contribute micronutrients and dietary fibre when eaten in minimally processed forms (unrefined products).These foods cost less than many other foods, when used as part of most meals they help to satisfy the appetite, without costing too much. Fortified maize and bread are good choices of starchy foods, especially for people whose diet has a minimal variety; these people will benefit from the extra vitamins and minerals added to fortified foods. Add foods from other food groups to the starchy food to make good mixed meals. Use minimally processed starchy foods. Include whole grains as part of your starchy foods. Choose starchy foods that do not have added fat, sugar or salt. Replace a large serving of starch with a smaller serving and include vegetables in the meal. 3 FOODS UNIT Bread, brown / white 1 slice Porridge, soft ½ cup Maize meal, dry powder 3 heaped tablespoons Potato 1 medium Rice/ pasta/ samp/ whole ½ cup grains, cooked Breakfast cereal Varies Cut corn, mealie ½ cup Popcorn, popped, no salt 2 cups or fat Eat plenty of vegetables and fruit everyday Vegetables and fruit are rich sources of vitamins and minerals, fibre and they contain water. Including these foods in meals helps to fill you up without adding too much extra food energy. There are many health benefits of an eating plan that contains recommended amounts of these foods. Eat vegetables in at least one or two mixed meals a day. Fruit can be eaten with meals, or as a snack between meals. Vegetables should be eaten every day, and not only on weekends. Everyone should have one unit of vegetable or fruit a day that provides beta carotene (which becomes vitamin A in the body). Examples are carrots, pumpkin, butternut, spinach, imifino, mango, pawpaw, yellow peaches and nectarines. (Note: oranges and cabbage do not contain beta carotene). Prepare vegetables and fruit with little (if any) added fat, sugar and salt. Vegetables with beta carotene should be lightly boiled and served in a meal that has fat, or else have a little oil added. Make soup from fresh vegetables instead of using packet soup; this will be nutritious and low in salt. Vegetable and fruit juice are not recommended as a regular replacement for fresh vegetables and fruit. They do not have much fibre, are high in sugar and vegetable juice may have added salt. FOODS UNIT Fresh / frozen vegetables ½ cup cooked Raw leafy vegetables 1 cup raw All fresh fruit 1 piece medium sized fruit e.g. apple, banana. 2 pieces of small fruit e.g. apricots, plums ½ piece large fruit e.g. grapefruit. ½ cup chopped fruit ½ cup fruit juice 2 tablespoons raisins 4
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